Friday, November 15, 2024
Home Blog Page 6

Uncaged Review – Andy and the Extroverts by Jessica K. Foster

By
Cyrene Olson
-
0

Andy and the Extroverts
Jessica K. Foster
Contemporary Young Adult

Seventeen-year-old bookish Andy has no friends. When her over-involved mother has the audacity to ship her off to summer leadership camp, she’s thrust into an introvert’s nightmare. Everyone is a Communicator with a capital C, icebreaker activities are scheduled into every waking moment, and horror of all horrors: there’s no coffee. Even the girls who take her under their wing are the kind of self-assured people Andy could never dream of becoming.

Then she meets Lucas—hot, attentive, and everything Andy reads about in her books. Though the girls in her cottage try to warn her about him, she’s swept into the first romance of her life. But when she discovers her friends may be right, she’ll have to find her inner confidence to save her summer and become the leader she was always meant to be.

Uncaged Review: Poor very introverted Andy. Sent off unwillingly to a leadership camp by her mother, and in Andy’s mind, it’s a fate worse than death. All Andy wants to do is read her smutty historical romances on summer break and she’s thrust into activities with a bunch of over-achieving teens in the camp from hell. But Andy will find her way – even without coffee. This book has some fun moments and a few over the top counselors, and Andy may even make a couple friends along the way.

A lot of young people will be able to relate to Andy, and even some of the ones around her. There are some hilarious moments and also some sad moments, but it’s a nicely paced book with a good cast of supporting characters that truly make the book. There is even a camp romance or two, and let’s not forget the dreaded circles. A nice debut novel. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Knight of Darkness by Sherry Ewing

By
Cyrene Olson
-
0

Knight of Darkness
Sherry Ewing
Medieval Romance

Sometimes finding love can become our biggest weakness…

Wymar Norwood understands responsibility. His two brothers have been in his care since his parent’s death. With his title and lands stripped from him by the usurper Stephen, he aligns himself with the Empress Matilda, the rightful Queen of England. If he can win her favor and become her champion knight, he prays all will be returned to him.

Lady Ceridwen Ward of Norwich is out to prove not only to herself but the Empress that she is more than capable of protecting those she loves. She hides herself in the guise of a knight and follows along with her men to Lincoln to raise her sword for the Empress’s cause. But life can become complicated, especially after your identity is revealed.

But Wymar and Ceridwen have a common enemy who is bent on revenge. They will need to search their souls and overcome grief in order for their love to survive life’s greatest test.

Uncaged Review: . Wymar Norwood had pretty much lost everything, his land his title and his parents from King Stephen. Wymar’s only way of getting everything back and being restored to honor is being a mercenary and by joining forces with Empress Matilda. Wymar is well-known to everyone from the allies to the enemies as the “Knight of Darkness.” While at a tavern the night before the battle, Wymar notices a young lad known as Lord Elric Bartone who is getting pushed around by Lord Sperling Ratcliff. Wymar attempts to stop the bullying especially when he hears that Sperling‘s only reason for being mean to Elric is because he is the brother of his supposed betrothed. Lord Elric is in truth Lady Ceridwen Ward who must hide her identity in order to support Matilda. Wymar and Ceridwen must find a way to not only stop King Stephen his supporters and Sperling who poses a threat to them both, their burgeoning love and everyone they hold dear.

This is truly an epic sweeping written medieval romance that is well-worth the read! The graphic descriptions of fighting are well researched and easily imagined putting you in the heat of the battle. The action definitely left me breathless and with the stunning display of visuals left me absolutely shocked! I had no problem visualizing the strong animosity between two very real adversaries but even the characters whether they be major or minor seem so vividly realistic! Ms. Sherry Ewing has really done her homework and the research shows. Wymar is enigmatically terrifying yet underneath it all is also a tremendously gracious hero that is charming fodder for the perfect book boyfriend hero! Ceridwen the English warrior maiden who I kind of pictured as the English Mulan is much more three dimensional and despite her tough nature also still is feminine and easily relatable too. I am excited for this new series and definitely can’t wait to read more when it gets written that is! Reviewed by Roslynn Ernst

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – The Wolfe by Kathryn Le Veque

By
Cyrene Olson
-
0

The Wolfe
Kathryn Le Veque
Medieval Romance

Read the Epic novel that started it all….

1231 A.D. – After a nasty skirmish along the England/Scotland border at Bog Wood, a badly wounded knight has crawled off to die. As women from the Clan Scott fan out across the battlefield to collect the spoils of war, one woman breaks off from the pack. She is sickened by the tradition of stealing valuables off the dead and runs off to hide. In her hiding place, however, lingers the badly wounded knight. The young woman is frightened at first but she tends the knight and saves his life. Little does the Lady Jordan Scott know that she has just saved the life of the dreaded English knight known to her people as The Wolfe….

Several months later, peace is proposed along the border. An English groom is offered to a Scots bride. The Lady Jordan Scott is that bride and her groom is the aged and powerful Earl of Teviot, John de Longley. When Lord de Longley sends his mighty and hated army to collect his new bride, the captain of the army personally retrieves Lady Jordan. When Jordan looks upon the fearsome English knight, she realizes there is something oddly familiar about his voice. When the man finally reveals himself, she sees that it is none other than the man whose life she saved, Sir William de Wolfe.

William has never forgotten about his Scots angel. As he escorts her back to Northwood Castle to wed his liege, each passing minute sees him fall more hopelessly in love with her. Jordan comes to know the man beyond The Wolfe of legend, and so the love story begins.

Join William and Jordan in a tale of true and utter devotion, of a love that bleeds beyond the boundaries of Scots and English, and where loyalty, friendship, and family bind them all together in this uncertain and political world. These are the dark days of dark times, but in the midst of a treacherous world of secrets and hatred, William and Jordan share a love that is only dreamt of.

Uncaged Review: This is an epic tale of William de Wolfe, aka The Wolfe, well known for being one of the best and most feared knights during his time. This story is long, and as a fast reader – it still took me three days to finish. Before I go much further, this is a five star book, although I did have some issues, but it wasn’t enough to pull a star from the rating. The main story is about Jordan and William, even though there are multiple smaller stories running throughout the background. Jordan is traded off from her father to Earl de Longley, an older English border lord in order for peace. William and his knights are to retrieve Jordan and take her back to Northwood Castle. Jordan swears to do her duty, but in the process of returning to Northwood, she charms the knights and Willam.

The romance is not a long drawn out affair, it is realized early enough on, but there are many dangers, battles and traitors along the way. Two of my small grievances within the book are first of Jordan, who is supposed to be a smart, educated woman, and is constantly getting into trouble of her own doing. The other thing was that there is not one romance here, there are several, but I felt cheated that I never got to witness the romances in the background except for a bit for Kieran. I fell in love with these Knights, and wanted more.

This book is long, about 800 pages and one of the authors first medieval romances she wrote, although it was years before it was published. Kathryn Le Veque builds these worlds like no other I’ve read, and transports you back into medieval times along with the characters. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Scorched by Paula Quinn

By
Cyrene Olson
-
0

Scorched
Paula Quinn
Romantic Fantasy

Marcus is a Drakkon as ancient as the stars, stronger than a mountain, and the last of his kind. Men now rule the earth. The time of the Drakkon is over thanks to the legendary Phoenix Amber and the Council of Elders who use its power to transform Drakkon into humans. When the Council discovers he may be hiding a treasure worth more than any dragon horde, they will stop at nothing to have it and transform him against his will.

Being human is worse than anything Marcus could have imagined. His brilliant cerulean scales are gone, replaced with paltry skin he is sure could not even stop a bird if one flew into him. But worse than imprisonment in a male body are the awakenings of unfamiliar human desires that are nothing like the animal urges that were so easily satisfied as a Drakkon— emotions like loneliness that make him seek out companionship with a woman who, unfortunately for him, happens to be a sweetly-scented virgin.

Samantha Montgomery isn’t about to go to bed with a man who believes he used to be a reptile, especially one whose smoldering smiles make her think of being consumed alive by fire, and loving it. A romance writer and product of the New York State foster care system, Sam just wants some normalcy in her life. She’ll never get it with Marcus. Should it matter that his wickedly passionate touch tempts her to yield all, even if all he wants is her virtue? He is everything she doesn’t want in a man. Fear of commitment is one thing, not loving anyone or anything for ten centuries is another. But he won’t leave her castle. He’s arrogant, proud, and a bit delusional as to his abilities, but despite all his infuriating ways, including reading her mind and ceaselessly trying to convince her that the knights she writes about were useless beings clad in metal, he works his way into her life by fixing what’s broken; from the stone wall outside her battle-beaten castle to the wall around her heart.

When Marcus discovers the treasure that prompted his transformation, he must make a choice. Give up his human heart and save the Drakkon race, or surrender his heart to love and remain a man forever.

Uncaged Review: There isn’t much about this book that I didn’t love. Humor, action, spice, romance – this one has a bit of everything. Sam is a historical romance writer who buys a run down castle in England to start fresh after a disastrous relationship. When a “man” falls from the sky and through the roof of her stables, her life will never be the same. Enter Marcus, a Drakkon that has been transformed back to a man from his true dragon form by a man with a stone that is capable of doing two transformations on a body. But learning about how humans live is going to be quite a daunting task for Marcus, and hilarity ensues.
I love how arrogant Marcus is without even knowing he is. After centuries of being a dragon, Marcus is learning the ways of being a human, and he’s not really liking it. Until he meets Sam. When he realizes that she is his life mate, then his eagerness to return to the Drakkon he was is not as appealing.

If you love romantic fantasy, this is a good choice. This reads a lot like a historical when revisiting Marcus’ past memories, and Sam is a woman who stands up to him well. I’m looking forward to moving on with the series. Reviewed by Cyrene

5 Stars

Uncaged Review – Thinly Veiled by Eliza Modiste

By
Cyrene Olson
-
0

Thinly Veiled
Eliza Modiste
Contemporary Romance/Suspense

The past haunts her, the present beguiles her…and the future is ready to bring her full circle.


Claire Branson just moved across state lines into Salem, Virginia, and she wants her life to go right for once, please and thank you. Having freshly escaped from a criminal past and the ex-boyfriend associated with it, she needs routine. Monotony. A happiness that could feel…simple.

Luke Turner is simple – sexy, sarcastically sweet, and, above all, radiating innocence. He could be her simplicity, there’s no doubt about that. But with Claire’s past festering under the gauze of her quick runaway, could he keep his innocence?

And, more importantly, will they get out of everything alive?

Uncaged Review: This was a fun book, and even though I liked Luke and Claire and the friends to lover trope here, I was really more interested in the secondary characters, especially Liam. Claire needs to escape her past so she moves to Virginia with her friend Zoey. In the meantime, she gets a job at a bar where she meets Luke. Thinking he’s gay, she feels pretty safe hanging out with him. They all live in the same building, Luke, Liam, Zoey and Claire. But Claire’s past will come back to haunt her, so they devise a plan to fix it once and for all.

I would have rated this a bit higher, but when the main characters main pastime is getting drunk, it’s hard to relate to them as normally functioning human beings. There is a lot of humor, and one thing I liked was how they all become a family, it’s the family you choose, not the one you are born into that counts here.
Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – A Dream of Shadows by Peter Eliott

By
Cyrene Olson
-
0

A Dream of Shadows
Peter Eliott
Dark Dystopian Fantasy

Vazeer the Lash has spent his entire adulthood on the verge of peril while operating as a criminal in the violent metropolis of Hell’s Labyrinth. Vazeer, intelligent and poised, longs to leave the life of smuggling that betrays his cultured personality.

His chance comes when he is commissioned to overthrow The Raving Blade, one of the most notorious and cruel power brokers in Hell’s Labyrinth. Vazeer joins a rogue’s gallery of accomplished Shadow Bidders, each a master of distinct and nefarious skills. Among them are an ex-pirate, whose enormous size and skill with weapons make him a veritable one-man army, a brilliant actress who finds herself playing a key role in a criminal world where she doesn’t belong, and a calm, mysterious assassin who draws events ever forward towards a series of increasingly dire consequences.

Vazeer has 48 hours of mortal danger and sadistic enemies standing between him and freedom… but good and evil are not as straightforward as they seem.

Uncaged Review: In this dystopian world, the metropolis known as Hell’s Labyrinth is run by Underworld bosses. Shadow Bidders are the criminals that take on bids for a living. Each Shadow Bidder has their own distinct skills, ranging from actress to lockpicker to assassins. Vazeer the Lash is a master smuggler, a type of pirate in this desolate city. Deciding to take on one last “sketch” (job) that pays overly well should set him up to retire. Unfortunately, it’s the most dangerous he’s ever embarked on. Along with five other Shadow Bidders, they plan to take out The Raving Blade, the cruelest power broker in the city.

This book was a very slow start, although if you make it to the 50% mark, the book takes off. There are so many twists and turns in this book, one minute you will be believing one thing, and the next that idea is stripped from your mind. This book is written well, I just wish it would have taken off a bit faster. This is an intensely dark book, and once it gets moving, you won’t put it down for long. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Courting Fire by Tamara Hughes

By
Cyrene Olson
-
0

Courting Fire
Tamara Hughes
Historical Romance

A stubborn suffragist …
Boston suffragist, Mattie Duncan is a willful, independent woman whose heart has always belonged to Jack Taylor, a local firefighter. Challenging nineteenth-century conventions, she finds a way to join Jack’s fire station. Not only can she make a difference saving lives, she can spend time with Jack, who is tasked with training her.

The firefighter who resists her …
Jack has always been attracted to Mattie, but he doesn’t see a future with her. In Jack’s mind, she will always be tied to his late brother, who had loved her desperately. To make matters worse, Jack is also still racked with guilt over not being able to prevent his brother’s death.

And the murder mystery that will bring them together …
Mattie overhears a conversation suggesting his brother was murdered. As Jack and Mattie work together to uncover the truth, their passions ignite. But even if Jack’s guilt is absolved, can he overcome the sense of betrayal toward his brother that’s keeping them apart?

Uncaged Review: Set during the time of the suffrage protests and the Great Boston Fire, Mattie has always loved Jack. But Jack has always held her at arm’s length. When Mattie decides to join the fire department to be near Jack, he is assigned to train her – mostly to get her to give up the notion of being a firefighter. There were very few women that were firefighters, but Mattie’s decision to be a firefighter changed after she trained hard and was able to help save a young boy’s life. Jack lost his brother Sam in a fire, and he believed he would betray his brother’s memory by courting Mattie, whom his brother loved.

There are a lot of layers to this story, and a mystery, danger and coverups. Jack and Mattie begin investigating the death of Sam and discover a lot more than they ever could have known. Even though the background is the Suffrage movement and the Great Boston Fire, this is a book about Jack and Mattie and their families. The romance is slow building, and the characters are likable. A good read with a nice backdrop. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Earl of My Dreams by Sylvie Sinclair

By
Cyrene Olson
-
0

Earl of My Dreams
Sylvie Sinclair
Historical Regency

All Miss Sophie Everett wants is to see her beloved cousin happily married to the man she loves, and she’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen. When a prime opportunity for matchmaking presents itself in the form of a country house party, she contrives to spend the week sowing the seeds of romance…until a fellow guest arrives with ideas of his own. Soon Sophie finds herself butting heads with the most stubborn man she’s ever known. A man who once owned her heart…

James Halloran, the Earl of Dearborn, is in need of an heir, but first he must find a wife. He thinks he’s found precisely what he wants: a girl possessed of both beauty and breeding, one who will make few demands and never touch his heart. The perfect countess. Unfortunately, the girl’s cousin—the maddening Miss Everett—does not share his enthusiasm for the match, and vows to prevent it, no matter the cost…

As their feud turns to friendship, sparks fly and passions ignite. But secrets, long kept hidden, threaten to destroy their future before it’s even begun…

Uncaged Review: This is a strong debut novel from this author, with great characters that had not only a great romance, but also a friendship with three women that is heartwarming, and it will be fun to read their stories in the future. Sophie and James have known each other since children. With Sophie having had a crush on James when they were young. But Sophie is all about helping her cousin Olivia find her match, and is not much interested in marriage herself. But both James and Sophie have secrets, and James’ past threatens his future. They will need to find a way past it all to find their HEA.

Great pacing, funny and witty at times, this is a very strong first novel. The sharp wit of Sophie will keep James on his toes, and when they agree to a decision to help James find a wife, to keep him from courting Olivia, Sophie will have to keep her heart on a short leash. Some spicy romance sprinkled in, and this is a great way to spend a cold winter day. Reviewed by Cyrene

4.5 Stars

Uncaged Review – A Donnybrook Affair by Robert E. Kearns

By
Cyrene Olson
-
0

A Donnybrook Affair
Robert E. Kearns
Crime Noir/Private Detective

Lemuel Plant is a hard-up private investigator working out of a shabby downtown office. He’s ready to quit, and is determined that his next case will be his last.
Plant is visited by the beautiful Florence Joiner, who wants to collect evidence against her husband, who she alleges is having an affair with his secretary.
On the job, Plant follows Harold Joiner, the managing partner of a successful firm. But he also follows his client, which leads him to the affluent suburb of Donnybrook and its country club. There, Plant discovers there’s more to the story than what she disclosed
Intrigue, a compelling plot, and the salacious going-on between the well-heeled people of Donnybrook, make this a must-read for lovers of vintage detective fiction.

Uncaged Review: This book is set in a time before computers and cellphones, before technology took over. It reminded me a lot of the old movies like Dial M for Murder or Out of the Past. I’m not a heavy reader in the crime/mystery genres, but this book was a great page turner. It was a bit fun to go back to the old days when people had to literally run down their leads on a case instead of doing research behind a desk on a computer. Lem is a private investigator hired by a socialite who wants to prove her husband is cheating on her so she can divorce him and get a nice payday out of it. Lem decides to take the case, because he wants to just retire out of his dingy office. But there are a lot of twists and turns to this one, and one was a major surprise to me.

For private detective fans, this is a good read with a good cast of characters. Lem is such a great character, I hope he pops up in another book down the road. Reviewed by Cyrene

4 Stars

Uncaged Review – Ghost Moon by Kathryn Knight

By
Cyrene Olson
-
0

Ghost Moon
Kathryn Knight
Ghost Romance

When Lark Cavanaugh’s life in New York City falls apart, she’s left reeling from a staggering betrayal. She escapes to Cape Cod, where a distant relative has left her an old house with a tragic past. Rumors of a haunting presence plague the abandoned home, but Lark doesn’t believe in ghosts…until she has no choice.

After completing his military duty, veterinarian Jesse Holt returns to his small hometown to take over his father’s practice. He soon finds himself drawn to the alluring redhead now living next door, but she has made her intentions clear—she’s moving back to the city as soon as possible. When frightening events threaten her safety, though, he can’t deny his protective instincts.

Unable to fight their feelings, they give in to desire…but another battle looms. Lark’s arrival has awakened a decades-old mystery, and the truth of what happened at Holloway House will only be revealed when it claims yet another life.

Uncaged Review: After she gets burned by her finance, Lark retreats to a home she inherited from an aunt she barely knew in a small town on Cape Cod. The rumors are the house is haunted and Lark begins seeing the evidence of that when she arrives with her cat Preston. When Preston gets sick, she finds a vet to take him to in the middle of the night, not knowing the vet is her neighbor, Jesse. Strange things like pictures falling off walls, and sounds coming from the house, but it starts getting dangerous when Lark starts sleepwalking near the river that runs in the wooded area between her and Jesse’s house. Lark and Jesse become closer, and Lark feels that she needs to find out the mystery of the haunting in the home. But the truth will be a dangerous road, but one that Lark believes needs to be solved to set the soul free.

This is a good ghost mystery, one that kept me reading. The mystery, danger and love that grows between Jesse and Lark are all well balanced within the book. Everything becomes clear in the end and it’s a fun time getting there.
Reviewed by Cyrene

4.5 Stars

1...567...122Page 6 of 122

© 2016 - 2024 Uncaged Book Reviews, All Rights Reserved